Senior Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi is set to address an “Aabhaar Sabha” (thanksgiving meeting) for party workers from Rae Bareli and Amethi in Rae Bareli on Tuesday. The meeting will also feature addresses from Sonia Gandhi, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and Amethi MP KL Sharma.
This event marks the first such meeting in Uttar Pradesh for the Congress party following the declaration of the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results. The party has planned a series of thanksgiving public meetings and yatras across all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state from June 11 to 15 to express gratitude to voters who supported the Congress-SP alliance candidates in the elections.
The INDIA bloc secured 43 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with Congress winning six seats and the Samajwadi Party (SP) obtaining 37. Rahul Gandhi emerged victorious in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, defeating UP minister and BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 3,90,030 votes. Meanwhile, KL Sharma reclaimed Amethi from Union minister Smriti Irani, winning by 1,67,196 votes. Amethi, traditionally a stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi family, was lost in the 2019 elections when Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi by about 55,000 votes.
Amid ongoing speculations, there is uncertainty over whether Rahul Gandhi will retain the Rae Bareli or the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. Congress workers are keenly awaiting his decision, which must be made within 15 days from the date of his election to both seats.
District Congress Committee president of Rae Bareli, Pankaj Tiwari, expressed the local sentiment: “We want Rahul Gandhi to retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat. However, it is up to him to decide. If he chooses to retain Wayanad, we hope a member of the Gandhi family will be fielded from Rae Bareli.”
This anticipation underscores the strategic importance of both constituencies and the significant influence of the Gandhi family within the Congress party.